Took their name from the Christy Minstrels, the most popular minstrel
show troupe of the 1800s. Under the leadership of Edwin P. Christy
(1815 - 1862) and his successors, they are perhaps best known today for
having introduced many of
Stephen Foster best-known songs. "Swanee River," "My
Old Kentucky Home," and "Camptown Races" were all introduced by the
original Christy Minstrels.
The original Christy Minstrels were "blackface" performers - white men wearing stage make-up to change their appearance to a caricature of African Americans. Their shows, like most "minstrel shows", were a mixture of music, comedy, dance, and bits of theater, with the majority of their material being deeply racist and/or promoting the idea that black people were not only happy as slaves, but better off in slavery. It is unknown why Randy Sparks was either unaware of, or chose to ignore, the racist history of his group's name.
